Benintendi's hot May extending into June

NICK FRIARSpecial to The Journal

Sunday

Jun 10, 2018 at 6:59 PM

BOSTON — Andrew Benintendi has reached base safely in every game since he took over for Mookie Betts in the leadoff role. During this 14-game stretch, he has hit .328 with 12 extra-base hits (five home runs, six doubles and a triple), 11 RBI and a 1.115 OPS.

Benintendi's on-base streak now sits at 15, having begun in Betts' last game. He had a double in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the White Sox.

Since April — when Benintendi hit .242 with seven doubles, two triples, one home run, 15 RBI and a .740 OPS — he’s been just as good as anyone in all of baseball.

He has played in 36 games since May 1, hitting .327 with a 1.038 OPS, 10 home runs, 11 doubles, three triples and 29 RBI. He’s essentially on par with J.D. Martinez during that stretch (.301 average, 1.084 OPS, 16 home runs, eight doubles and 32 RBI in 36 games).

Was there a change in his swing from early in the year?

“I’ve kept everything the same,” Benintendi said in an exclusive interview. “I think the biggest difference, I guess, is just making harder contact more often. I think early on I was making weak contact early in the count and not getting a pitch to drive. In the past, however long it’s been, I feel like I’ve been driving the ball a lot better.”

Not his timing, not his swing path — nothing has changed, according to Benintendi. Not even his approach at the plate, even though he said he was making “weak contact early in the count.”

“Haven’t changed one bit," he repeated. "Maybe it’s just kind of finding that slot maybe in my swing. Getting better pitches to hit, things like that.”

Even Red Sox hitting coach Tim Hyers hasn’t identified anything different about Benintendi’s swing since the end of April. Hyers isn’t necessarily surprised that the Red Sox interim leadoff man is hitting for both power and average.

“He hasn’t made any changes that he’s discussed with me,” Hyers said. “It’s more about … he got some hits, got his timing, got that confidence and things started to roll. It’s funny, he got some hits and I said, ‘Oh, you’re getting hot,’ and he said, ‘no, it’s just warm.’

“We just talk pitch selection, we just talk a few times about game planning. But I really believe he just kind of found that comfort in the batters box, got a few hits one after the other and it (became) contagious to the next at-bat. When he’s confident, he’s got the swing to roll off a couple of weeks of a hot streak that is not surprising.”

Hyers may not be shocked by what Benintendi has done of late, but explaining exactly why the young lefty has been able to drive the ball so powerfully is another story.

“He’s a powerful guy,” Hyers said. “I don’t know where the power comes from. It’s fun to watch. But if I could put my finger on why he drives the ball over the center-field wall the other day, I can’t tell you. He has an efficient swing and his lower half works really well. I think with all those parts working together that’s what comes out.

“Even in college, when he got here, the ball has jumped off his bat really easy. So it’s not anything surprising in his career. It’s just when he squares it up it works.”

This run has sparked the debate of whether Betts versus Benintendi should be the leadoff man, even though the latter was hitting well in his standard second spot in the order. Benintendi doesn’t have a preference, so it’s likely things will go back to normal once Betts is cleared to play again.

Since Benintendi's plan at the plate has largely remained the same, it’s safe to bank on similar production from the lefty when he slides down one spot in the order.

“I didn’t change my approach at all going to leadoff,” Benintendi said. “I wasn’t going to go up there and start seeing a bunch of pitches and things like that. Mookie doesn’t do that, obviously. Still looking for a pitch to drive. When Mookie comes nothing will change.”

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